In a day and age when more and more companies are turning to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies to try and work with employees and trim on training time and costs to the company, there are some things that must be kept in mind.
Cyber Security
Thanks to popular movies and political events, everyone knows about the damage a hacker can cause to your company. It only takes one person who’s angry or just plain bored to find a crack in your cyber security, and then all of your data can become property of the internet. What you might not be aware of is that every outside device you or your employees use could be a pathway for that risky someone to get in. Do your employees sign into their work emails from the pizza shop across the street? What about “just checking Facebook” or “needing to catch a Pokemon?” None of these are your fault, nor your employees’, but they are potential areas that someone can use to access your networks through unsecured devices.
Physical Security
People are forgetful. We leave our coffee on top of our cars when we’re running late, we forget to turn the stove off because we got distracted by a phone call, or we leave our computers unattended while at a coffee shop. In and of itself, leaving a device unattended allows access to anything on it, but only for a short period. If a device is lost or stolen is a different scenario. The person that took it might only sell it. That’s looking at a best case outcome. But consider the worst case. It’s possible to access anything that’s on that phone or computer. That includes every wifi the device has ever connected to and all of the networks that it’s part of.
Compliance
When it comes to compliance with laws like HIPPA or GLBA, it can be difficult to ensure just within a workplace setting. To ensure it across every employee’s range of devices both in and out of work, though? The complications for that alone can be scary. Imagine taking into account different operating systems, different user preferences and the amount of time it could take to train employees on all of the software. It amounts to an astronomical headache for you and your IT department.
When more and more employees are expecting to able to use their own devices at work, how do you keep a handle on all of it? Fortunately, we offer Mobile Device Management to help secure your business and keep your employees happy. If you’d like to discuss more about BYOD policies or learn more about how we can help, contact us today.